Goffered wire clip bank



June 27, 1961 R. M. WEIGEL ETAL 2,990,150

GOFFERED WIRE CLIP BANK Filed March 6, 1959 INVENTORS'. ,Poamr h. IMF/55L A rraa MEI/6' United States Patent p 2,990,150 GOFFERED WIRE CLIP BANK Robert M. Weigel, 16825 1st Ave. S., Seattle 88, Wash, and Donald K. Whetstone, 800 'SW. Normandy Road, Seattle, Wash.

Filed Mar. 6, 1959, Ser. No. 797,634 4 Claims. (Cl. 248-68) The Wire clip bank of the present invention may be used for connecting wires permanently, but is most useful in installations in which wires are to be connected or held temporarily such as in experimental and test equipment.

A principal object is to provide a wire clip bank which can secure in place a number of wires whether they are all of the same size or are of different sizes within reasonable limits. In securing such wires in place it is an object to provide a clip bank which will secure in place a slightly different number of wires without great alteration in size or extent of the clip and which will grip all of the wires substantially as securely irrespective of the number of wirm held by a single clip bank.

It is a further object for the clip bank to secure all the wires in definite locations with a firm grip so that such wires will not shift or work loose because of stresses applied to them, and the material of the clip will be subjected to sustained stress.

Another object is to provide a clip bank by which wires can be secured or from which wires can be extracted quickly and easily. Moreover, the clips of such a bank are suitable to grip the end portions of wires or a stretch of wire at any location between its ends. The wires thus secured can be either bare or insulated, and if bare the wires will be gripped so as to make a good electrical connection with the clip bank where the clip bank is of metal. In such a case the wires can be secured to the clip bank by solder if desired.

The structure of the clip bank is such that it can be made of virtually any size and can accommodate virtually any number of wires, but the clip bank is of compact construction, taking into consideration the number and size of wires which it can hold. Also, the Wires are held in spaced relationship so that they can be distinguished easily for tracing purposes.

It is also an object to provide such a clip bank which can be mounted easily and quickly and can be designed to be mounted in different relationships to a mounting panel. The clip bank and its mounting structure may be made strong and durable, while at the same time being economical to produce.

A wire clip bank having the characteristics described includes a gofiered or pleated strip between the folds or layers of which wires can be inserted in positions extending parallel to the axes about which the convolutions of the clip bank are folded. Wire-engaging folds or pleats are crimped to form wire embracing valleys to accommodate and grip the wires inserted between the folds or layers to limit their movement transversely of the wire length, and to grip the wires securely without appreciable deformation or extension of the folds. Alternate layers or folds or each layer can be crimped and a crimped layer or fold preferably is of sinuous shape to provide at least one valley on each side of it. The strip of which the clip bank is formed can be extended at one end of the bank to form a bank-supporting leg which can be secured to a suitable supporting structure such as a mounting panel. The leg can be attached to the face of the panel by a bolt or screw or can be inserted through the panel.

FIGURE 1 is a side view of one form of goffered wire clip bank mounted on a panel.

FIGURE 2 is a top perspective view of a goffered wire clip bank similar to that shown in FIGURE 1 but having 2,990,150 Patented June 27, 1961 a different type of supporting structure. FIGURE 3 is a top perspective view of a blank, andFIGURE 4 is a top perspective View of the formed blank of FIGURE 3 constitut-ing a supporting portion of the golfered wire clip bank shown in FIGURE 2, the clip bank being broken away.

FIGURE 5 is a side view with parts broken away of a supporting portion of a gotfered wire clip bank of the type shown in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 6 is a side view of a different type of gotfered wire clip bank with parts broken away.

FIGURE 7 is a side view of a further modification of a gotfered wire clip bank, parts having been broken away.

FIGURE 8 is a side view of still a difierent form of golfered wire clip bank.

FIGURE 9 is a side view of a further modified form of a goffered wire clip bank with parts broken away.

While various modifications of the gofiered wire clip bank of the present invention are shown in the drawings, they operate on the same principle, and in each case the extent of the clip bank has been selected arbitrarily, and the extent could be increased as much as desired, provided that the bank has at least three folds or layers. Referring to FIGURE 1 in describing the general characteristics of the wire clip bank, such bank is formed of a gofiered strip, the pleats or folds of which are of a width at least several times as great as the diameter of a typical wire to be held in the clip bank. As shown in FIGURE 2, the width of the strip of which the clip bank is made in a direction parallel to the axes about which the convolutions are folded may be of any extent, but should be at least great enough to provide an adequate bearing on the wires received in the clip bank. Such bearing should be of an extent to hold the wires in parallel relationship so that they can not tilt appreciably in a plane parallel to a plane common to the axes about which the strip bends are folded in being formed into pleated shape.

One or more of the folds or layers is crimped to form wire locating and gripping valleys. Such a crimp or valley 1 in FIGURE 1 preferably is bent on a curvature substantially equal to the curvature of a wire to be engaged in the clip bank. The valley is closer to one end of its layer than to the other end of such layer and faces toward the adjacent layer conected to its layer by the bend farther from such valley. Also each layer or fold having in it a valley 1 preferably has in it a second valley 2 closer to such other end of the layer and displaced in the direction opposite the first valley so as to make the layer of sinuous shape. The crimp 1 will therefore form a wireengaging valley at the side of its layer facing the adjacent layer connected to its layer by the bend farther from such valley, while the crimp 2 forms a second wireengaging valley at the opposite side of the fold which also faces the adjacent layer connected to its layer by the bend farther from such second valley." It is, of course, necessary to provide adjacent layers of the clip bank which will cooperate with the valley or valleys of such a crimped layer to grip and retain wires engaged in such valleys.

In the form of wire clip bankshown in FIGURE 1 alternate folds or layers have corresponding crimps or valleys 11 and 2, whereas the folds or layers 3 adjacent to such crimped folds are planar. Thus a planar layer 3 will be located between adjacent layers having crimps 1 and 2. Note that the concave or valley side of the crimp 1 is at the same side of the crimped layer as the opening between the adjacent end of such crimped layer and the adjacent planar layer 3 toward which the crimp valley faces. Similarly, the concave or valley side of the crimp 2 is located at the same side of the crimped strip as the opening between the adjacent end of such strip and the adjacent planar fold 3 connected to such crimped strip by a bend at its end remote from such crimp 2. To engage a wire in the concave or valley side of the crimp 1 or 2, therefore, it is only necessary to move the wire transversely of its length through the opening 4 between a crimped layer and an adjacent layer until it is lodged in the concave side of a crimp 1 or 2. The pleated strip has sufficient resilience to clamp a wire thus engaged in a crimp if it is large enough to spread the adjacent folds apart slightly. The curvature of the crimp preferably conforms to the curvature of the wire surface at least substantially so as to grip the wire firmly without the opening 4 being spread greatly.

With a wire clip bank such as shown in FIGURE 1 a wire may be inserted transversely of its length through each of the openings 4 and lodged in the crimp valleys adjacent to the respective openings without holding any of the openings spread appreciably if the wires are of substantially the size which the clip bank was designed to accommodate. The overall expansion of the clip bank will be approximately equal to the accumulation of the amounts that the several openings 4 are spread, but even this total expansion ordinarily would not be great. Of course, it is not necessary to engage a wire with each crimp, as shown in FIGURE 1, but each wire will be gripped securely whether one or more than one wire are engaged in the clip bank.

A wire thus engaged in a crimp 1 or 2 will be held firmly against inadvertent movement out of an opening 4 or farther toward the closed end of the space between the adjacent layers or folds. Such confinement of the wire is effected by forming the crimp 1 or 2 of substantial depth so that if the wire tended to move in either direction from a position centered with the crimp, it would be necessary to spread the adjacent folds substantially against the resilience of the strip material. Toward the closed side of the space between adjacent convolutions the other crimp will form an inclined surface tending to reduce the dis stance between the layers, and at the side of the crimp adjacent to the opening between the layers the space between the layers decreases in width because of the relatively large radius of the bend joining adjacent layers. Despite the fact that each wire is thus retained positively in engagement with the crimped valley embracing it, the wire can easily and quickly be withdrawn voluntarily from the clip bank, either by movement transversely of its length in the direction opposite that in which it was moved in being inserted into the clip bank, or by extracting the wire lengthwise from the clip bank if only the end portion of the wire is engaged in the clip bank.

A clip bank of the type described can be mounted in various ways, but it is convenient to provide a mounting leg 5 in the form of an extension of the wire clip bank integral with the strip from which the clip bank is made. The supporting leg 5 may be bent to provide a foot 6 disposed substantially perpendicular to the strip leg 5. Such foot may have in it an aperture 7 through which a screw 8 can be inserted to secure the foot to a panel 9 or other suitable mounting structure. Alternatively, the clip bank mounting leg 5 can be curled about an axis extending lengthwise of the leg to form a tubular tip 10, which can be inserted into a hole in a mounting panel. In each case the pleated clip bank portion is supported in cantilever fashion by the integral mounting portion.

The curled tip 10 can be tapered toward its free end so that for temporary installation it can simply be pushed into a hole in a panel and wedged in place. The connection between the tip and the panel can be increased if the exterior of the tip is provided with annular serrations 11. With an open-sided type of tube the tip can be constricted circumferentially during or after its insertion into an aperture in the panel and then released. The resilience of the tube will cause it to expand and press the serrations 11 into the sides of the aperture for effecting a finn engagement between the tube sides and the aperture. Alternatively, with or without the serrations 11 such a tubular tip 10 can be secured in an aperture in a panel 9 by a 4 sheet metal fastener or nut 12 illustrated in FIGURE 8.

If preferred, a conventional threaded nut can be employed to secure a tubular tip in a panel. Such a tip can be formed by cutting a notch 13 into one or both edges of the strip 5, as shown in FIGURE 3. The edges of the strip are then curled about an axis extending lengthwise of the strip 5 in the manner indicated in FIGURE 4, and the resulting tube 14 can have threads 15 cut in its wall onto which a nut can be screwed.

In FIGURE 5 still another arrangement is illustrated for securing in a panel 9 a tubular tip 10. In this instance the end of the tube projects only a short distance beyond the surface of the panel, and such projecting portion of the tube tip is rolled or flanged at 10' to form a riveted end. The tube tip can be spun into this formation if desired, or could be squeezed flat.

The supporting leg 5 of the clip bank can be made of any length desired in accordance with the preferred location of the clip bank relative to the mounting panel 9. Also the mounting leg can extend perpendicular to the folds as shown in FIGURE 1 or parallel to the folds in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2. In FIGURE 6 the mounting leg 5 is much shorter than shown in FIGURES l and 2 and is parallel to the folds. When the mounting leg '5 of FIGURE 6 is secured to the panel 9 by a screw 8, therefore, the end fold 3 will be secured in contiguous face-to-face relation to the panel 9. The fold thus in contact with the panel 9 is shown as being planar, and alternate folds also are planar as in the clip banks of FIG- URES l and 2. The intermediate folds between the folds 3 are crimped generally in the same manner as the crimped folds of FIGURES l and 2, but in this instance the crimps 1' and 2 are of angular shape instead of being curved like the crimps 1 and 2 of FIGURES l and 2. Consequently, there is no attempt to shape the valleys of the crimps to conform to the peripheries of wires to be lodged in them, but such valleys will contact the wires along two spaced longitudinal lines of the wires.

It will be evident that the wires to be gripped are inserted into the spaces between the folds of the clip bank shown in FIGURE 6 in the same manner as they are inserted in the clip banks shown in FIGURES l and 2. The change in spacing of the folds reflected by wires of different size be somewhat greater with the form shown in FIGURE 6 than with the forms of FIGURES 1 and 2, because smaller wires can move farther into the angles forming the valleys of the crimps in FIGURE 6. In general, however, the clip bank of FIGURE 6 operates in a fashion similar to the clip banks of FIGURES l and 2. Preferably both in this form and in the form of FIGURES l and 2, when no wires are inserted between the folds the openings 4 between adjacent folds will be closed completely, but the bends between adjacent folds will not exert much pressure, if any, tending to keep such folds closed.

in FIGURE 7 all of the folds or layers are crimped in complemental fashion so that a valley 16 in one fold will face a valley 17 in the adjacent fold. Such valleys will thus engage opposite sides of a Wire. Again, each fold preferably has two crimps in it, one forming a valley facing in one direction and the other forming a valley facing in the opposite direction, in each instance toward the adjacent fold connected to the crimped fold by the bend farther from the crimp. In this clip bank the sup porting leg 5 is arranged generally parallel to the folds but the folds of the clip bank could extend transversely of the supporting leg like those shown in FIGURE 1, if desired. In this instance the leg has a foot 6 bent transversely of the leg proper, having an aperture 7 to receive a screw 8 for securing the foot to the panel 9.

In the type of clip bank shown in FIGURE 8 the crimped folds have crimps 18 and 19 in them which form valleys much shallower than those formed by the crimps shown in the clip banks of FIGURES l, 2, 6 and 7. Such a clip bank as shown in FIGURE 8, therefore, will accommodate wires of smaller diameter. Also by making the leaves longer with the crimps located farther apart the holding pressure exerted by the folds can be considerably less when each wire is inserted than is the case when a Wire of equal size is inserted into the space between adjacent folds of a clip bank such as shown in FIGURES 1, 2, 6 and 7.

In FIGURE 9 the leaves of the clip bank again are quite long as compared to the leaves in the clip banks of FIGURES l, 2, 6 and 7 to accommodate wires of comparable size. In this instance, however, the crimps 29 and 21 form valleys of much sharper curvature than the valleys formed by the crimps 18 and 19 in the clip bank of FIGURE 8. The valleys of crimps 20 and 21 will ther fore embrace the wires held by them much more firmly than the wires would be gripped by the clip bank of FIGURE 8. In this instance the supporting leg 5 is shown as being disposed in face-to-face engagement with the panel 9 and having a bolt 22 extending through an aperture in the leg and an aperture in the panel to clamp the leg and panel together.

We claim as our invention:

1. A Wire-gripping goifered clip bank comprising a pleated resilient metal strip having at least three substan tially parallel layers in overlying registry, including an intermediate layer connected to a first adjacent layer by a first return bend and connected to a second adjacent layer by a second return bend bent oppositely from said first return bend, said intermediate layer being crimped between said first and second return bends forming a wire-engaging valley facing said second adjacent layer and located closer to said first return bend than to said second return bend, and said first adjacent layer being crimped forming a wire-engaging valley facing said intermediate layer and located closer to said second return bend than to said first return bend.

2. A wire-gripping goffered clip bank comprising a pleated resilient metal strip having at least three substantially parallel layers in overlying registry, including an intermediate layer connected to a first adjacent layer by a first return bend and connected to a second adjacent layer by a second return bend bent oppositely from said first return bend, said intermediate layer being crimped oppositely between said first and second return bends forming one wire-engaging valley facing said first adjacent layer and located closer to said second return bend than to said first return bend and another wire-engaging valley facing said second adjacent layer and located closer to said first return bend than to said second return bend.

3. A wire-gripping gofiered clip bank comprising a pleated resilient metal strip having at least three substantially parallel layers in overlying registry, including an intermediate layer connected to a first adjacent planar layer by a first return bend and connected to a second adjacent planar layer by a second return bend bent oppositely from said first return bend, said intermediate layer being crimped oppositely between said first and second return bends forming one wire-engaging valley facing said first adjacent planar layer and located closer to said second return bend than to said first return bend and another wire-engaging valley facing said second adjacent planar layer and located closer to said first return bend than to said second return bend.

4. A wire-gripping goflfered clip bank comprising a pleated resilient metal strip having at least three substantially parallel layers in overlying registry, including an intermediate layer connected to a first adjacent layer by a first return bend and connected to a second adjacent layer by a second return bend bent oppositely from said first return bend, said intermediate layer being crimped oppositely between said first and second return bends forming one wire-engaging valley facing said first adjacent layer and located closer to said second return bend than to said first return bend and another wire-engaging valley facing said second adjacent layer and located closer to said first return bend than to said second return bend, said first adjacent layer being crimped forming a wire-engaging valley in registry with and facing that wire-engaging valley of said intermediate layer facing said first adjacent layer, and said second adjacent layer being crimped forming a wire-engaging valley in registry with and facing that wireengaging valley of said intermediate layer facing said second adjacent layer.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 466,932 Cornell Jan. 12, 1892 803,819 Getz Nov. 7, 1905 973,311 Smith Oct. 18, 1910 1,212,673 Peirce Ian. 16, 1917 2,447,025 Newman Aug. 17, 1948 2,729,412 Amesbury Jan. 3, 1956 2,746,112 Simon May 22, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 471,423 Canada Feb. 6, 1951 647,374 Germany July 3, 1937 

